Russian NHL star Varlamov arrested in Denver

Semyon Varlamov was arrested on Wednesday evening on suspicion of second-degree kidnapping and third-degree assault on an acquaintance.

Semyon Varlamov has been accused of domestic violence
against his girlfriend. Denver police suspect the Russian hockey player of
second-degree kidnapping and third-degree assault on an acquaintance.

Semyon is
being detained until a pre-trial that will be held on Thursday morning local
time. He was not released on bail and now Varlamov is in a solitary confinement
cell at the police station. He could face from two to six years in prison.

“I do not believe that Semyon could have committed a crime”,
said the goalie’s agent Vyacheslav Makhrensky to RBTH. “I hope that this
situation will be settled in the near future. For the present, I cannot comment
on anything more concrete, not to harm my client.”

Conflicting reports

According to the information from the hockey player’s
father, the police statement against Varlamov was submitted by his girlfriend Evgenia Vavrinyuk, a model who had come to him from Russia.
According to her lawyer Robert Abrams, she was hospitalized.

“As far as I know, the girl had bruises after the hockey
player pushed her into a wall,” said Robert Abrams in an interview with the
Denver TV channel CBS. “As I was informed by the victim, on Monday, Varlamov
had too much to drink, and on Tuesday afternoon he beat her in his apartment.
The girl is 5.4 ft tall, and weighs 99.2 lbs. Varlamov weighs 209.4 lbs and is 6.18 ft tall. He is a professional athlete; just imagine how strong he is!”

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According to the victim, this was not the first case of
violence on the part of the hockey player. In turn, Denver police said that
they did not have precise information about who the injured girl was.

Meanwhile, the situation has caused concerns in Russia.
Varlamov is a player on the national team; he is one of the candidates for the
first goalie at the Olympic Games in Sochi.

KHL standing by Semyon

“Now we are looking into the circumstances of the
incident. If there is such a possibility, both the KHL and the Russian Hockey
Federation on its part will do everything possible, within the law, to help
Semyon, not to leave him in a lurch,” said the vice president of KHL and former
player of the Avalanche, Valery Kamensky in a conversation with RBTH.

On Friday, Colorado will have to play the next match of
the regular season against Dallas. It is not clear whether Semyon Varlamov is
going to take part in the game, and whether his contract in the NHL remains
valid. The coach of the Avalanche, Patrick Roy, and the general manager
Greg Sherman would not comment on the situation.

“Patrick is in a difficult position now. On the one
hand, he is concerned about the boy’s fate, on the other hand, he has to decide
on the team’s composition, since Varlamov is the main goaltender”, said
Kamensky, who had played in one team with Roy.

“The club will not stay on the
sidelines in this situation. They have their lawyers and contacts in the
police. Varlamov will get competent legal help. Still, I hope that this is just
a misunderstanding, and Semyon will return to the ice soon.”